Former PSNI officer Craig Moffitt who falsely claimed he had death threats given suspended sentence

A former police officer who falsely claimed he had been issued with a death threat whilst working as a constable in the PSNI was handed a suspended sentence on Friday.

Craig Ronald Moffitt, whose address was given as 'PSNI Mahon Road, Portadown' appeared at Belfast Crown Court.

He was handed a 16-month sentence, which was suspended for three years, by Judge Brian Sherrard who branded the incident as "a stupid error."

The 37-year old pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice on a date between December 29, 2019 and January 3, 2020 - namely he falsely alleged that a female informed him that a male had arranged to have him 'done in.'

The court heard that whilst working as a constable in the PSNI, Moffitt falsely claimed to police colleagues that he had been approached by the girlfriend of an 'identified individual'.

Moffitt claimed that the woman told him the 'identified individual' - who was her boyfriend - had arranged to have him killed and an intelligence report was lodged.

Branding this claim as a "lie", Judge Sherrard revealed that on January 2, 2020 Moffitt "doubled down on that lie" by falsely reporting in a 999 call that a man has appeared at his home armed with a gun and tried to shoot him.

Due to Moffitt's allegations, the man he named was arrested, his home was searched and his girlfriend was interviewed.

When it transpired Moffitt's claims were false, he was interviewed in February 2020.

At this stage, Moffitt maintained the false account - but later admitted the charge of perverting the course of justice.

As a result, Moffitt left his job in the PSNI and is now employed in the hospitality sector.

During Friday's sentencing it emerged that Moffitt knew the 'identified individual' from a previous investigation.

A defence barrister branded his client's offending as "bizarre" and "an attempt by a troubled man to obtain sympathy."

The barrister also spoke of a decline in Moffitt's mental health in the lead-up to his offending which resulted in him being detained for a period.

Saying Moffitt has been "punished already" due to losing his job and his self-respect, the barrister spoke of his client's previous good standing and the fact that he has "completely changed his life".

Judge Sherrard said that whilst the motivation for Moffitt's offending was "unclear", it "seems likely" he was trying to "either impress or gain sympathy from a female colleague."

Citing the offending as a "cry for help", Judge Sherrard said it occurred when Moffitt's mind was "warped with alcohol."

Judge Sherrard told Moffitt that as he was a police officer at the time, his actions were "clearly in breach of the duty of trust placed in you by our community."

Telling Moffitt his offending was "not sophisticated", the Judge added: "It is not lost upon me that you have not only lost you job, but you have also lost your reputation as a result of this stupid error."

The Judge also said that in the intervening four years, Moffitt's life has moved from "chaos to order" and he has not committed any further offences.

Imposing the suspended sentence, Judge Sherrard warned Moffitt of the consequences should be re-offend in the next three years.

The PSNI acknowledged the sentence handed down and in a statement Chief Superintendent Stephen Wright, Head of Police Service Professional Standards Department (PSD) said: “Once his offending came to light, Moffitt was rightly dismissed by the Police Service in June 2021 following an investigation by PSD, which ran alongside the criminal investigation.

“The Police Service and the public demand the highest standards of police officers and staff, and the actions of Moffitt stand in stark contrast to those standards.

“No-one is above the law and we, as a Police Service, will not tolerate any form of criminality or wrongdoing by our officers or staff.”

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